CVE-2026-97601
ieee802154: 6lowpan: fix NULL dereference in lowpan_newlink
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ieee802154: 6lowpan: fix NULL dereference in lowpan_newlink TUNSETLINK allows a TUN device to change its link-layer type to ARPHRD_IEEE802154 without initializing ieee802154_ptr. lowpan_newlink() checks only the device type before dereferencing the pointer, so an RTM_NEWLINK request can trigger a NULL pointer dereference. Reject devices without ieee802154_ptr along with devices of the wrong type.
INFO
Published Date :
Sept. 25, 2026, 11:17 a.m.
Last Modified :
Sept. 25, 2026, 11:17 a.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Solution
- Update the Linux kernel to the latest version.
- Apply the specific patch for the lowpan_newlink function.
- Validate device type before dereferencing ieee802154_ptr.
- Reject devices missing ieee802154_ptr.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
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CVE-2026-97601.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-97601 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-97601
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
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The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-97601 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
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New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Sep. 25, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ieee802154: 6lowpan: fix NULL dereference in lowpan_newlink TUNSETLINK allows a TUN device to change its link-layer type to ARPHRD_IEEE802154 without initializing ieee802154_ptr. lowpan_newlink() checks only the device type before dereferencing the pointer, so an RTM_NEWLINK request can trigger a NULL pointer dereference. Reject devices without ieee802154_ptr along with devices of the wrong type. Added Affected New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/97xxx/CVE-2026-97601.json">CVE-2026-97601</a> Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1c7710af7ad9532b534f1c134c11b04dbe4e0e0f Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8528da2333ce05cf627f93425f9d05efb08b3146 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/98ce5a42cde780ee0e40378607d4428c8fc12ec1 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bf79662bc85e820ac3b846e2f347da29fbf6ac95